‘I’ll start eating healthier tomorrow’: This is a typical one that we say to ourselves on monday. The week passes by and we are still eating a lot of processed foods that are not helping to clean our bodies and get healthier. Then the weekend arrives and, yup its the weekend… So nothing to be done until next Monday!

Shame eating: “I feel bad about all the food I ate, so I might as well punish myself and keep on eating.” Who hasn’t gone through this one? You remember all the cakes, pastries and chocolates you ate during the bank holiday and feel absolutely mortified. And because you feel mortified, you just keep on eating. First of all, stop beating yourself up and just enjoy the fact that you spent time with your family, had a good rest and enjoyed your mum’s cooking. Now it’s time to reset and feed your body some healthy food.

No time: “I don’t have time to shop and cook, so i’ll just order some fast food.” Getting home from a trip can be tiring and does not allow us to prepare for the upcoming week. This all means we might still be eating unhealthy foods that takes us further away from our health goals. A great way to avoid this is to freeze a few vegetables such as cauliflower, peas and broccoli before going on holidays. When you come home just cook them up and make a thick and delicious soup. This can help you out while you organise yourself again, do some shopping and get the cooking going.

Furthermore, after a long weekend of eating unhealthy foods, your body might not be feeling as strong as usual.

Get yourself organised and get back on track. Your body needs to be in balance in order for you to function properly, have energy and become healthier. Eat more home cooked meals, include more whole foods and be aware of the food you are eating when you are away from home.

Fermentation is a practice that is still popular in many cultures around the world. These include countries in Asia, North, Central and South America and Europe. It can be made with dairy, vegetables, fruits, wheat and even meat produce. For example, real chocolate is made by fermenting the cocoa beans under certain atmospheric conditions that will help the process.

Even though fermentation has been present throughout time and in various cultures, people were not aware of the great benefits it can have in the human body. until fairly recent. Among the main benefits of fermented foods I can include:

Improved digestion: Since the fermentation process acts as a predigestion to food, it makes it more bioavailable and your body will have an easier time digesting.

Increased nutrients of food: Since fermentation makes food more bioavailable, you will get more nutrients from your food, comparing to when you eat certain foods raw or cooked. This includes dairy, fruits, vegetables, beans and grains.

Great source of probiotic: Fermented foods contain many strains of probiotics that rebalance the bacteria in the gut.

Supports immune system: Your gut needs to be strong in order to support your immune and digestive system, this is why including them in your diet is so important. Since probiotics help to feed the gut, this will in return reduce any negative reactions to foods and gastrointestinal discomforts.

Save a buck: If you are in a tight budget, it can be a much cheaper alternative to supplements if they are consumed regularly.

In all, fermented foods are very important to include in your diet. Foods such as kefir, natural yogurt, kimchee, sauerkraut, tempeh, miso paste and kombucha are great alternatives and are easy to find in stores. Most of them you could even make them at home.